Profile: Lisa Carroll, IAG Insurance Australia Group

Lisa Carroll Service Delivery Manager IAG Insurance Australia Group Number of years in role:   1 Number of staff:   33 Industry:   Insurance

What do you do?
Our insurance business is distributed through business partners.  My role is Service Delivery Manager and the title encapsulates the role nicely as I manage three teams that are responsible for delivering services to our external customers.  The staff who work for our business partners are also our customers. 

There are three team managers responsible for the day to day operations and our goal is to ensure that we are providing the best customer experience possible.  I support the team managers in their roles and also on occasions speak to disgruntled customers.   As the Service Delivery Manager I’m responsible for ensuring adherence to all the legislative requirements pertaining to our industry.

What results are expected in your position?

- Achieve expense budgets
- Achieve service levels
- Achieve customer satisfaction levels
- Implement strategies for continuous improvement
- Improve employee engagement

What has been your biggest career highlight to date?
There have been many highlights as my career spans a long period of time and I’ve had a variety of roles within this time.  The most recent change to my career came approximately 12 months ago when I was appointed as Service Delivery Manager and my role expanded to include managing a team of customer service officers within a call centre.  It has always been my desire to be part of the call centre industry since moving away from it many years ago so this is a big highlight.

What is the best and worst thing about your job?
The best thing is definitely the people.  I have really good working relationships with all the people I work with, and we’re all committed to achieving really positive customer outcomes.

The worst thing is not always being able to implement enhancements to business processes that impact customer satisfaction.

Any tips on how to get and stay ahead?
Maintain a positive attitude at all times.  If you’re in a leadership role it’s really important that you influence people in the most positive way.  Have an open mind, there’s always another point of view and another way of solving problems, and having an open mind allows you to get lots of different perspectives.

How do you encourage loyalty with your staff and clients?
It’s all about the experience for the individual.  It’s important to respect both staff and customer desires and needs no matter what you might think.  It’s not always possible to satisfy your staff and customers, however it is always possible to make them feel valued.  If people feel valued they’ll want to continue working with you or doing business with you, and that’s the aim of leadership and customer service.

What do you think employees want from their employer?
The three F’s – fairness, flexibility and fun!

What does your company do for staff, that you feel is different from what other companies provide?
We have a variety of paid leave options for staff.   The one that’s different from other companies is our community/charity leave. This is one day’s paid leave per year for all employees who choose to volunteer or participate in a community or charity organisation.  The organisation chosen can be one that is dear to the heart of the individual, or one that the company sponsors.

What are the biggest human capital issues your industry is dealing with?  …and what should be done about them?
As with many industries, the big issue for us is the shortage of skilled staff.  I’ve noticed that it has become increasingly difficult to find employees.  There is definitely a shortage.  We need to come up with more creative ways of training new staff so that we can start to employ people who have different skill sets but who have the learning capability to expand their skills and meet the demands of the job.